Fuses are widely implemented in integrated circuit devices, particularly in integrated circuit memory devices, to provide discretionary electrical connections. For example, in dynamic or static memory chips, defective memory cells or circuitry may be replaced by selectively blowing (destroying) fuses associated with the defective circuitry while activating redundant circuitry. Fuses are also used for programming functions and codes in logic chips, as well as programming redundant rows of memory chips. To provide such discretionary electrical connections, fuses include a fuse element that is broken (blown) by using electrical current flowing through the fuse element, or an external heat source, such as a laser beam. An exemplary fuse element is a polysilicon fuse element, which provides desirable programming current (current that needs to flow through the fuse element to break the fuse element). However, as device technology nodes decrease and high-k/metal gate technology is implemented (where a gate dielectric and polysilicon gate electrode are replaced with a high-k dielectric and metal gate electrode, respectively), polysilicon fuse elements have been replaced by metal fuse elements, such as copper fuse elements, because polysilicon fuse element processing is not compatible with high-k/metal gate processing. Though copper fuse element processing is compatible with high-k/metal gate processing, copper fuse elements require a higher programming current than desirable, typically several times larger than polysilicon fuse elements. Further, copper fuse element characteristics can be modified during subsequent process development. Accordingly, although existing fuses and methods for fabricating fuses have been generally adequate for their intended purposes they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects.